Amiga version of Shadow of the Beast included with PS4 reboot

Respect your elders, Dark Souls: Shadow of the Beast, a tough-as-nails 2D platformer developed by Psygnosis Unlimited for Commodore's Amiga PC back in 1989, was one of the original standard bearers of the Hard Game Club. Heavy Spectrum Entertainment Labs is working on a remake published by Sony and due out later this month on PS4.

As a treat to fans of the original game, as well as new players interested in exploring Beast's roots, Heavy Spectrum has integrated the original game as an unlockable bonus.

"As fans of the original, we wanted to make sure that we did everything we could to give new players that same experience that inspired us," explained Matt Birch, CEO and founder of the studio, in a PlayStation blog.

Serving up the original wrapped in an emulator comes with a few advantages. As you now know, Shadow of the Beast was a difficult game, so Heavy Spectrum implemented an infinite-lives cheat code for players who need a helping hand.

Elements of the Amiga original tie into Heavy Spectrum's take on Shadow of the Beast in other ways. "We know music is incredibly important to the atmosphere of Shadow of the Beast," Birch said. "The incredibly talented Ian Livingstone has produced a fantastic dynamic soundtrack specifically to complement our take on this universe, with each level getting its own theme and the music escalating as the fighting increases in intensity."